Audio Content Search in a Media Playback System

ABSTRACT

Embodiments are described herein that provide searches, including a multi-dimensional search, a cross-source search, or both in a media playback system. The search can be initiated by way of a selection of a location on user interface of a controller. The location corresponds to one or more metadata that is used in the search. Results are sorted and displayed. In some embodiments, the one or more metadata is used to filter and/or sort the results.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure is related to consumer goods and, more particularly, tomethods, systems, products, features, services, and other items directedto media playback or some aspect thereof.

BACKGROUND

Digital music has become readily available due in part to thedevelopment of consumer level technology that has allowed people tolisten to digital music on a personal audio device. The consumer'sincreasing preference for digital audio has also resulted in theintegration of personal audio devices into PDAs, cellular phones, andother mobile devices. The portability of these mobile devices hasenabled people to take the music listening experience with them andoutside of the home. People have become able to consume digital music,like digital music files or even Internet radio, in the home through theuse of their computer or similar devices. Now there are many differentways to consume digital music, in addition to other digital contentincluding digital video and photos, stimulated in many ways byhigh-speed Internet access at home, mobile broadband Internet access,and the consumer's hunger for digital media.

Until recently, options for accessing and listening to digital audio inan out-loud setting were severely limited. In 2005, Sonos offered forsale its first digital audio system that enabled people to, among manyother things, access virtually unlimited sources of audio via one ormore networked connected zone players, dynamically group or ungroup zoneplayers upon command, wirelessly send the audio over a local networkamongst zone players, and play the digital audio out loud acrossmultiple zone players in synchrony. The Sonos system can be controlledby software applications running on network capable mobile devices andcomputers.

Given the insatiable appetite of consumers towards digital media, therecontinues to be a need to develop consumer technology thatrevolutionizes the way people access and consume digital media.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, aspects, and advantages of the presently disclosed technologymay be better understood with regard to the following description,appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows an example configuration in which certain embodiments maybe practiced;

FIG. 2A shows an illustration of an example zone player having abuilt-in amplifier and transducers;

FIG. 2B shows an illustration of an example zone player having abuilt-in amplifier and connected to external speakers;

FIG. 2C shows an illustration of an example zone player connected to anA/V receiver and speakers;

FIG. 3 shows an illustration of an example controller;

FIG. 4 shows an internal functional block diagram of an example zoneplayer;

FIG. 5 shows an internal functional block diagram of an examplecontroller;

FIG. 6 shows an example playback queue configuration for a network mediasystem;

FIG. 7 shows an example ad-hoc playback network;

FIG. 8 shows a system including a plurality of networks including acloud-based network and at least one local playback network;

FIG. 9 shows an example flow diagram for a search in accordance with anembodiment;

FIGS. 10A and 10B show user interface examples that help illustrate howa search may be initiated according to FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 shows another user interface example in which a search isinitiated; and

FIGS. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 show various types of search results,as they might be displayed on a user interface, based on different kindsof searches performed.

In addition, the drawings are for the purpose of illustrating exampleembodiments, but it is understood that the inventions are not limited tothe arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. Overview

Embodiments described herein involve a user friendly system for audiodiscovery using a controller of a media playback system. The embodimentsare particularly useful when listening to a song via a media playbacksystem and the listener user wants to track down the song. For instance,selecting a location on a user interface causes a search to beperformed. Depending on the embodiment, the search may include searchingone or more audio sources (e.g., a cross-service search), the search mayinclude the use of metadata, the search may include the use bothmetadata and a cross-service search. The results are sorted anddisplayed. Various embodiments are described below in detail as theyrelate to different aspects of the search.

Other embodiments, as those discussed in the following and others as canbe appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art are alsopossible.

II. Example Operating Environment

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals can refer to likeparts throughout the figures, FIG. 1 shows an example media systemconfiguration 100 in which one or more embodiments disclosed herein canbe practiced or implemented.

By way of illustration, the media system configuration 100 is associatedwith a home having multiple zones, although it should be understood thatthe home could be configured with only one zone. Additionally, one ormore zones can be added to the configuration 100 over time. Each zonemay be assigned by a user to a different room or space, such as, forexample, an office, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, dining room, familyroom, home theater room, utility or laundry room, and patio. A singlezone might also include multiple rooms or spaces if so configured. Withrespect to FIG. 1, one or more of zone players 102-124 are shown in eachrespective zone. Zone players 102-124, also referred to herein asplayback devices, multimedia units, speakers, players, and so on,provide audio, video, and/or audiovisual output. A controller 130 (e.g.,shown in the kitchen for purposes of this illustration) provides controlto the media system configuration 100. Controller 130 may be fixed to azone, or alternatively, mobile such that it can be moved about thezones. The media system configuration 100 may also include more than onecontroller 130, and additional controllers may be added to the systemover time.

The media system configuration 100 illustrates an example whole housemedia system, though it is understood that the technology describedherein is not limited to, among other things, its particular place ofapplication or to an expansive system like a whole house media system100 of FIG. 1.

a. Example Zone Players

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show example types of zone players. Zone players200, 202, and 204 of FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, respectively, can correspondto any of the zone players 102-124 of FIG. 1, for example. In someembodiments, audio is reproduced using only a single zone player, suchas by a full-range player. In some embodiments, audio is reproducedusing two or more zone players, such as by using a combination offull-range players or a combination of full-range and specializedplayers. In some embodiments, zone players 200-204 may also be referredto as a “smart speaker,” because they contain processing capabilitiesbeyond the reproduction of audio, more of which is described below.

FIG. 2A illustrates a zone player 200 that includes sound producingequipment 208 capable of reproducing full-range sound. The sound maycome from an audio signal that is received and processed by zone player200 over a wired or wireless data network. Sound producing equipment 208includes one or more built-in amplifiers and one or more acoustictransducers (e.g., speakers). A built-in amplifier is described morebelow with respect to FIG. 4. A speaker or acoustic transducer caninclude, for example, any of a tweeter, a mid-range driver, a low-rangedriver, and a subwoofer. In some embodiments, zone player 200 can bestatically or dynamically configured to play stereophonic audio,monaural audio, or both. In some embodiments, zone player 200 may bedynamically configured to reproduce a subset of full-range sound, suchas when zone player 200 is grouped with other zone players to playstereophonic audio, monaural audio, and/or surround audio or when themedia content received by zone player 200 is less than full-range.

FIG. 2B illustrates zone player 202 that includes a built-in amplifierto power a set of detached speakers 210. A detached speaker can include,for example, any type of loudspeaker. Zone player 202 may be configuredto power one, two, or more separate loudspeakers. Zone player 202 may beconfigured to communicate an audio signal (e.g., right and left channelaudio or more channels depending on its configuration) to the detachedspeakers 210 via a wired path.

FIG. 2C illustrates zone player 204 that does not include a built-inamplifier, but is configured to communicate an audio signal, receivedover a data network, to an audio (or “audio/video”) receiver 214 withbuilt-in amplification.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, one, some, or all of thezone players 102 to 124 can retrieve audio directly from a source. Forexample, a particular zone player in a zone or zone group may beassigned to a playback queue (or “queue”). The playback queue containsinformation corresponding to zero or more audio items for playback bythe associated zone or zone group. The playback queue may be stored inmemory on a zone player or some other designated device. Each itemcontained in the playback queue may comprise a uniform resourceidentifier (URI) or some other identifier that can be used by the zoneplayer(s) to seek out and/or retrieve the audio items from theidentified audio source(s). Depending on the item, the audio sourcemight be found on the Internet (e.g., the cloud), locally from anotherdevice over the data network 128 (described further below), from thecontroller 130, stored on the zone player itself, or from an audiosource communicating directly to the zone player. In some embodiments,the zone player can reproduce the audio itself (e.g., play the audio),send the audio to another zone player for reproduction, or both wherethe audio is reproduced by the zone player as well as one or moreadditional zone players (possibly in synchrony). In some embodiments,the zone player may play a first audio content (or alternatively, maynot play the content at all), while sending a second, different audiocontent to another zone player(s) for reproduction. To the user, eachitem in a playback queue is represented on an interface of a controllerby an element such as a track name, album name, radio station name,playlist, or other some other representation. A user can populate theplayback queue with audio items of interest. The user may also modifyand clear the playback queue, if so desired.

By way of illustration, SONOS, Inc. of Santa Barbara, Calif. presentlyoffers for sale zone players referred to as a “PLAY:5,” “PLAY:3,”“PLAYBAR,” “CONNECT:AMP,” “CONNECT,” and “SUB.” Any other past, present,and/or future zone players can additionally or alternatively be used toimplement the zone players of example embodiments disclosed herein.Additionally, it is understood that a zone player is not limited to theparticular examples illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C or to the SONOSproduct offerings. For example, a zone player may include a wired orwireless headphone. In yet another example, a zone player might includea sound bar for television. In yet another example, a zone player mayinclude or interact with a docking station for an Apple iPod™ or similardevice.

b. Example Controllers

FIG. 3 illustrates an example wireless controller 300 in docking station302. By way of illustration, controller 300 may correspond tocontrolling device 130 of FIG. 1. Docking station 302, if provided orused, may provide power to the controller 300 and additionally maycharge a battery of controller 300. In some embodiments, controller 300may be provided with a touch screen 304 that allows a user to interactthrough touch with the controller 300, for example, to retrieve andnavigate a playlist of audio items, modify and/or clear the playbackqueue of one or more zone players, control other operations of one ormore zone players, and provide overall control of the systemconfiguration 100. In other embodiments, other input mechanisms such asvoice control may be used to interact with the controller 300. Incertain embodiments, any number of controllers can be used to controlthe system configuration 100. In some embodiments, there may be a limitset on the number of controllers that can control the systemconfiguration 100. The controllers might be wireless like wirelesscontroller 300 or wired to data network 128.

In some embodiments, if more than one controller is used in system 100of FIG. 1, each controller may be coordinated to display common content,and may all be dynamically updated to indicate changes made to thesystem 100 from a single controller. Coordination can occur, forinstance, by a controller periodically requesting a state variabledirectly or indirectly from one or more of the zone players; the statevariable may provide information about system 100, such as current zonegroup configuration, what is playing in one or more zones, volumelevels, and other items of interest. The state variable may be passedaround on data network 128 between zone players (and controllers, if sodesired) as needed or as often as programmed.

In addition, an application running on any network-enabled portabledevice, such as an iPhone™, iPad™, Android™ powered phone or tablet, orany other smart phone or network-enabled device can be used ascontroller 130. An application running on a laptop or desktop personalcomputer (PC) or Mac™ can also be used as controller 130. Suchcontrollers may connect to system 100 through an interface with datanetwork 128, a zone player, a wireless router, or using some otherconfigured connection path. Example controllers offered by Sonos, Inc.of Santa Barbara, Calif. include a “Controller 200,” “SONOS® CONTROL,”“SONOS® Controller for iPhone™,” “SONOS® Controller for iPad™,” “SONOS®Controller for Android™,” SONOS® Controller for Mac™ or PC.”

c. Example Data Connection

Zone players 102-124 of FIG. 1 are coupled directly or indirectly to adata network, such as data network 128. Controller 130 may also becoupled directly or indirectly to data network 128 or individual zoneplayers. Data network 128 is represented by an octagon in the figure tostand out from other representative components. While data network 128is shown in a single location, it is understood that such a network isdistributed in and around system 100. Particularly, data network 128 canbe a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination of both wiredand wireless networks. In some embodiments, one or more of the zoneplayers 102-124 are wirelessly coupled to data network 128 based on aproprietary mesh network. In some embodiments, one or more of the zoneplayers are coupled to data network 128 using a centralized access pointsuch as a wired or wireless router. In some embodiments, one or more ofthe zone players 102-124 are coupled via a wire to data network 128using Ethernet or similar technology. In addition to the one or morezone players 102-124 connecting to data network 128, data network 128can further allow access to a wide area network, such as the Internet.

In some embodiments, connecting any of the zone players 102-124, or someother connecting device, to a broadband router, can create data network128. Other zone players 102-124 can then be added wired or wirelessly tothe data network 128. For example, a zone player (e.g., any of zoneplayers 102-124) can be added to the system configuration 100 by simplypressing a button on the zone player itself (or perform some otheraction), which enables a connection to be made to data network 128. Thebroadband router can be connected to an Internet Service Provider (ISP),for example. The broadband router can be used to form another datanetwork within the system configuration 100, which can be used in otherapplications (e.g., web surfing). Data network 128 can also be used inother applications, if so programmed. An example, second network mayimplement SONOSNET™ protocol, developed by SONOS, Inc. of Santa Barbara.SONOSNET™ represents a secure, AES-encrypted, peer-to-peer wireless meshnetwork. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, the data network 128 isthe same network, such as a traditional wired or wireless network, usedfor other applications in the household.

d. Example Zone Configurations

A particular zone can contain one or more zone players. For example, thefamily room of FIG. 1 contains two zone players 106 and 108, while thekitchen is shown with one zone player 102. In another example, the hometheater room contains additional zone players to play audio from a 5.1channel or greater audio source (e.g., a movie encoded with 5.1 orgreater audio channels). In some embodiments, one can position a zoneplayer in a room or space and assign the zone player to a new orexisting zone via controller 130. As such, zones may be created,combined with another zone, removed, and given a specific name (e.g.,“Kitchen”), if so desired and programmed to do so with controller 130.Moreover, in some embodiments, zone configurations may be dynamicallychanged even after being configured using controller 130 or some othermechanism.

In some embodiments, a “bonded zone” contains two or more zone players,such as the two zone players 106 and 108 in the family room, whereby thetwo zone players 106 and 108 can be configured to play the same audiosource in synchrony. In one example, the two zone players 106 and 108can be paired to play two separate sounds in left and right channels,for example. In other words, the stereo effects of a sound can bereproduced or enhanced through the two zone players 106 and 108, one forthe left sound and the other for the right sound. In another example twoor more zone players can be sonically consolidated to form a single,consolidated zone player. A consolidated zone player (though made up ofmultiple, separate devices) can be configured to process and reproducesound differently than an unconsolidated zone player or zone playersthat are paired, because a consolidated zone player has additionalspeaker drivers from which sound can be passed. The consolidated zoneplayer can further be paired with a single zone player or yet anotherconsolidated zone player. Each playback device of a consolidatedplayback device can be set in a consolidated mode, for example.

In certain embodiments, paired or consolidated zone players (alsoreferred to as “bonded zone players”) can play audio in synchrony withother zone players in the same or different zones.

According to some embodiments, one can continue to do any of: group,consolidate, and pair zone players, for example, until a desiredconfiguration is complete. The actions of grouping, consolidation, andpairing are preferably performed through a control interface, such asusing controller 130, and not by physically connecting and re-connectingspeaker wire, for example, to individual, discrete speakers to createdifferent configurations. As such, certain embodiments described hereinprovide a more flexible and dynamic platform through which soundreproduction can be offered to the end-user.

e. Example Audio Sources

In some embodiments, each zone can play from the same audio source asanother zone or each zone can play from a different audio source. Forexample, someone can be grilling on the patio and listening to jazzmusic via zone player 124, while someone is preparing food in thekitchen and listening to classical music via zone player 102. Further,someone can be in the office listening to the same jazz music via zoneplayer 110 that is playing on the patio via zone player 124. In someembodiments, the jazz music played via zone players 110 and 124 isplayed in synchrony. Synchronizing playback amongst zones allows for anindividual to pass through zones while seamlessly (or substantiallyseamlessly) listening to the audio. Further, zones can be put into a“party mode” such that all associated zones will play audio insynchrony.

Sources of audio content to be played by zone players 102-124 arenumerous. In some embodiments, audio on a zone player itself may beaccessed and played. In some embodiments, audio on a controller may beaccessed via the data network 128 and played. In some embodiments, musicfrom a personal library stored on a computer or networked-attachedstorage (NAS) may be accessed via the data network 128 and played. Insome embodiments, Internet radio stations, shows, and podcasts may beaccessed via the data network 128 and played. Music or cloud servicesthat let a user stream and/or download music and audio content may beaccessed via the data network 128 and played. Further, music may beobtained from traditional sources, such as a turntable or CD player, viaa line-in connection to a zone player, for example. Audio content mayalso be accessed using a different protocol, such as Airplay™, which isa wireless technology by Apple, Inc., for example. Audio contentreceived from one or more sources can be shared amongst the zone players102 to 124 via data network 128 and/or controller 130. Theabove-disclosed sources of audio content are referred to herein asnetwork-based audio information sources. However, network-based audioinformation sources are not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the example home theater zone players 116, 118, 120are coupled to an audio information source such as a television 132. Insome examples, the television 132 is used as a source of audio for thehome theater zone players 116, 118, 120, while in other examples audioinformation from the television 132 may be shared with any of the zoneplayers 102-124 in the audio system 100.

III. Example Zone Players

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown an example block diagram of azone player 400 in accordance with an embodiment. Zone player 400includes a network interface 402, a processor 408, a memory 410, anaudio processing component 412, one or more modules 414, an audioamplifier 416, and a speaker unit 418 coupled to the audio amplifier416. FIG. 2A shows an example illustration of such a zone player. Othertypes of zone players may not include the speaker unit 418 (e.g., suchas shown in FIG. 2B) or the audio amplifier 416 (e.g., such as shown inFIG. 2C). Further, it is contemplated that the zone player 400 can beintegrated into another component. For example, the zone player 400could be constructed as part of a television, lighting, or some otherdevice for indoor or outdoor use.

In some embodiments, network interface 402 facilitates a data flowbetween zone player 400 and other devices on a data network 128. In someembodiments, in addition to getting audio from another zone player ordevice on data network 128, zone player 400 may access audio directlyfrom the audio source, such as over a wide area network or on the localnetwork. In some embodiments, the network interface 402 can furtherhandle the address part of each packet so that it gets to the rightdestination or intercepts packets destined for the zone player 400.Accordingly, in certain embodiments, each of the packets includes anInternet Protocol (IP)-based source address as well as an IP-baseddestination address.

In some embodiments, network interface 402 can include one or both of awireless interface 404 and a wired interface 406. The wireless interface404, also referred to as a radio frequency (RF) interface, providesnetwork interface functions for the zone player 400 to wirelesslycommunicate with other devices (e.g., other zone player(s), speaker(s),receiver(s), component(s) associated with the data network 128, and soon) in accordance with a communication protocol (e.g., any wirelessstandard including IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac,802.15, 4G mobile communication standard, and so on). Wireless interface404 may include one or more radios. To receive wireless signals and toprovide the wireless signals to the wireless interface 404 and totransmit wireless signals, the zone player 400 includes one or moreantennas 420. The wired interface 406 provides network interfacefunctions for the zone player 400 to communicate over a wire with otherdevices in accordance with a communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.3).In some embodiments, a zone player includes multiple wireless 404interfaces. In some embodiments, a zone player includes multiple wired406 interfaces. In some embodiments, a zone player includes both of theinterfaces 404 and 406. In some embodiments, a zone player 400 includesonly the wireless interface 404 or the wired interface 406.

In some embodiments, the processor 408 is a clock-driven electronicdevice that is configured to process input data according toinstructions stored in memory 410. The memory 410 is data storage thatcan be loaded with one or more software module(s) 414, which can beexecuted by the processor 408 to achieve certain tasks. In theillustrated embodiment, the memory 410 is a tangible machine-readablemedium storing instructions that can be executed by the processor 408.In some embodiments, a task might be for the zone player 400 to retrieveaudio data from another zone player or a device on a network (e.g.,using a uniform resource locator (URL) or some other identifier). Insome embodiments, a task may be for the zone player 400 to send audiodata to another zone player or device on a network. In some embodiments,a task may be for the zone player 400 to synchronize playback of audiowith one or more additional zone players. In some embodiments, a taskmay be to pair the zone player 400 with one or more zone players tocreate a multi-channel audio environment. Additional or alternativetasks can be achieved via the one or more software module(s) 414 and theprocessor 408.

The audio processing component 412 can include one or moredigital-to-analog converters (DAC), an audio preprocessing component, anaudio enhancement component or a digital signal processor, and so on. Insome embodiments, the audio processing component 412 may be part ofprocessor 408. In some embodiments, the audio that is retrieved via thenetwork interface 402 is processed and/or intentionally altered by theaudio processing component 412. Further, the audio processing component412 can produce analog audio signals. The processed analog audio signalsare then provided to the audio amplifier 416 for playback throughspeakers 418. In addition, the audio processing component 412 caninclude circuitry to process analog or digital signals as inputs to playfrom zone player 400, send to another zone player on a network, or bothplay and send to another zone player on the network. An example inputincludes a line-in connection (e.g., an auto-detecting 3.5 mm audioline-in connection).

The audio amplifier 416 is a device(s) that amplifies audio signals to alevel for driving one or more speakers 418. The one or more speakers 418can include an individual transducer (e.g., a “driver”) or a completespeaker system that includes an enclosure including one or more drivers.A particular driver can be a subwoofer (e.g., for low frequencies), amid-range driver (e.g., for middle frequencies), and a tweeter (e.g.,for high frequencies), for example. An enclosure can be sealed orported, for example. Each transducer may be driven by its own individualamplifier.

A commercial example, presently known as the PLAY:5™, is a zone playerwith a built-in amplifier and speakers that is capable of retrievingaudio directly from the source, such as on the Internet or on the localnetwork, for example. In particular, the PLAY:5™ is a five-amp,five-driver speaker system that includes two tweeters, two mid-rangedrivers, and one woofer. When playing audio content via the PLAY:5, theleft audio data of a track is sent out of the left tweeter and leftmid-range driver, the right audio data of a track is sent out of theright tweeter and the right mid-range driver, and mono bass is sent outof the subwoofer. Further, both mid-range drivers and both tweeters havethe same equalization (or substantially the same equalization). That is,they are both sent the same frequencies but from different channels ofaudio. Audio from Internet radio stations, online music and videoservices, downloaded music, analog audio inputs, television, DVD, and soon, can be played from the PLAY:5™.

IV. Example Controller

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown an example block diagram forcontroller 500, which can correspond to the controlling device 130 inFIG. 1. Controller 500 can be used to facilitate the control ofmulti-media applications, automation and others in a system. Inparticular, the controller 500 may be configured to facilitate aselection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network andenable control of one or more zone players (e.g., the zone players102-124 in FIG. 1) through a wireless or wired network interface 508.According to one embodiment, the wireless communications is based on anindustry standard (e.g., infrared, radio, wireless standards includingIEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.15, 4G mobilecommunication standard, and so on). Further, when a particular audio isbeing accessed via the controller 500 or being played via a zone player,a picture (e.g., album art) or any other data, associated with the audioand/or audio source can be transmitted from a zone player or otherelectronic device to controller 500 for display.

Controller 500 is provided with a screen 502 and an input interface 514that allows a user to interact with the controller 500, for example, tonavigate a playlist of many multimedia items and to control operationsof one or more zone players. The screen 502 on the controller 500 can bean LCD screen, for example. The screen 500 communicates with and iscommanded by a screen driver 504 that is controlled by a microcontroller(e.g., a processor) 506. The memory 510 can be loaded with one or moreapplication modules 512 that can be executed by the microcontroller 506with or without a user input via the user interface 514 to achievecertain tasks. In some embodiments, an application module 512 isconfigured to facilitate grouping a number of selected zone players intoa zone group to facilitate synchronized playback amongst the zoneplayers in the zone group. In some embodiments, an application module512 is configured to control the audio sounds (e.g., volume) of the zoneplayers in a zone group. In operation, when the microcontroller 506executes one or more of the application modules 512, the screen driver504 generates control signals to drive the screen 502 to display anapplication specific user interface accordingly.

The controller 500 includes a network interface 508 that facilitateswired or wireless communication with a zone player. In some embodiments,the commands such as volume control and audio playback synchronizationare sent via the network interface 508. In some embodiments, a savedzone group configuration is transmitted between a zone player and acontroller via the network interface 508. The controller 500 can controlone or more zone players, such as 102-124 of FIG. 1. There can be morethan one controller for a particular system, and each controller mayshare common information with another controller, or retrieve the commoninformation from a zone player, if such a zone player storesconfiguration data (e.g., such as a state variable). Further, acontroller can be integrated into a zone player.

It should be noted that other network-enabled devices such as aniPhone™, iPad™ or any other smart phone or network-enabled device (e.g.,a networked computer such as a PC or Mac™) can also be used as acontroller to interact or control zone players in a particularenvironment. In some embodiments, a software application or upgrade canbe downloaded onto a network-enabled device to perform the functionsdescribed herein.

In certain embodiments, a user can create a zone group (also referred toas a bonded zone) including at least two zone players from thecontroller 500. The zone players in the zone group can play audio in asynchronized fashion, such that all of the zone players in the zonegroup playback an identical audio source or a list of identical audiosources in a synchronized manner such that no (or substantially no)audible delays or hiccups are to be heard. Similarly, in someembodiments, when a user increases the audio volume of the group fromthe controller 500, the signals or data of increasing the audio volumefor the group are sent to one of the zone players and causes other zoneplayers in the group to be increased together in volume.

A user via the controller 500 can group zone players into a zone groupby activating a “Link Zones” or “Add Zone” soft button, or de-grouping azone group by activating an “Unlink Zones” or “Drop Zone” button. Forexample, one mechanism for ‘joining’ zone players together for audioplayback is to link a number of zone players together to form a group.To link a number of zone players together, a user can manually link eachzone player or room one after the other. For example, assume that thereis a multi-zone system that includes the following zones: Bathroom,Bedroom, Den, Dining Room, Family Room, and Foyer. In certainembodiments, a user can link any number of the six zone players, forexample, by starting with a single zone and then manually linking eachzone to that zone.

In certain embodiments, a set of zones can be dynamically linkedtogether using a command to create a zone scene or theme (subsequent tofirst creating the zone scene). For instance, a “Morning” zone scenecommand can link the Bedroom, Office, and Kitchen zones together in oneaction. Without this single command, the user would manually andindividually link each zone. The single command may include a mouseclick, a double mouse click, a button press, a gesture, or some otherprogrammed or learned action. Other kinds of zone scenes can beprogrammed or learned by the system over time.

In certain embodiments, a zone scene can be triggered based on time(e.g., an alarm clock function). For instance, a zone scene can be setto apply at 8:00 am. The system can link appropriate zonesautomatically, set specific music to play, and then stop the music aftera defined duration and revert the zones to their prior configuration.Although any particular zone can be triggered to an “On” or “Off” statebased on time, for example, a zone scene enables any zone(s) linked tothe scene to play a predefined audio (e.g., a favorable song, apredefined playlist) at a specific time and/or for a specific duration.If, for any reason, the scheduled music failed to be played (e.g., anempty playlist, no connection to a share, failed Universal Plug and Play(UPnP), no Internet connection for an Internet Radio station, and soon), a backup buzzer can be programmed to sound. The buzzer can includea sound file that is stored in a zone player, for example.

V. Playback Queue

As discussed above, in some embodiments, a zone player may be assignedto a playback queue identifying zero or more media items for playback bythe zone player. The media items identified in a playback queue may berepresented to the user via an interface on a controller. For instance,the representation may show the user (or users if more than onecontroller is connected to the system) how the zone player is traversingthe playback queue, such as by highlighting the “now playing” item,graying out the previously played item(s), highlighting the to-be-playeditem(s), and so on.

In some embodiments, a single zone player is assigned to a playbackqueue. For example, zone player 114 in the bathroom of FIG. 1 may belinked or assigned to a “Bathroom” playback queue. In an embodiment, the“Bathroom” playback queue might have been established by the system as aresult of the user naming the zone player 114 to the bathroom. As such,contents populated and identified in the “Bathroom” playback queue canbe played via the zone player 114 (the bathroom zone).

In some embodiments, a zone or zone group is assigned to a playbackqueue. For example, zone players 106 and 108 in the family room of FIG.1 may be linked or assigned to a “Family room” playback queue. Inanother example, if family room and dining room zones were grouped, thenthe new group would be linked or assigned to a family room+dining roomplayback queue. In some embodiments, the family room+dining roomplayback queue would be established based upon the creation of thegroup. In some embodiments, upon establishment of the new group, thefamily room+dining room playback queue can automatically include thecontents of one (or both) of the playback queues associated with eitherthe family room or dining room or both. In one instance, if the userstarted with the family room and added the dining room, then thecontents of the family room playback queue would become the contents ofthe family room+dining room playback queue. In another instance, if theuser started with the family room and added the dining room, then thefamily room playback queue would be renamed to the family room+diningroom playback queue. If the new group was “ungrouped,” then the familyroom+dining room playback queue may be removed from the system and/orrenamed to one of the zones (e.g., renamed to “family room” or “diningroom”). After ungrouping, each of the family room and the dining roomwill be assigned to a separate playback queue. One or more of the zoneplayers in the zone or zone group may store in memory the associatedplayback queue.

As such, when zones or zone groups are “grouped” or “ungrouped”dynamically by the user via a controller, the system will, in someembodiments, establish or remove/rename playback queues respectively, aseach zone or zone group is to be assigned to a playback queue. In otherwords, the playback queue operates as a container that can be populatedwith media items for playback by the assigned zone. In some embodiments,the media items identified in a playback queue can be manipulated (e.g.,re-arranged, added to, deleted from, and so on).

By way of illustration, FIG. 6 shows an example network 600 for mediacontent playback. As shown, the example network 600 includes examplezone players 612 and 614, example audio sources 662 and 664, and examplemedia items 620. The example media items 620 may include playlist 622,music track 624, favorite Internet radio station 626, playlists 628 and630, and album 632. In one embodiment, the zone players 612 and 614 maybe any of the zone players shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. For instance,zone players 612 and 614 may be the zone players 106 and 108 in theFamily Room.

In one example, the example audio sources 662 and 664, and example mediaitems 620 may be partially stored on a cloud network, discussed morebelow in connection to FIG. 8. In some cases, the portions of the audiosources 662, 664, and example media items 620 may be stored locally onone or both of the zone players 612 and 614. In one embodiment, playlist622, favorite Internet radio station 626, and playlist 630 may be storedlocally, and music track 624, playlist 628, and album 632 may be storedon the cloud network.

Each of the example media items 620 may be a list of media itemsplayable by a zone player(s). In one embodiment, the example media itemsmay be a collection of links or pointers (i.e., URI) to the underlyingdata for media items that are stored elsewhere, such as the audiosources 662 and 664. In another embodiment, the media items may includepointers to media content stored on the local zone player, another zoneplayer over a local network, or a controller device connected to thelocal network.

As shown, the example network 600 may also include an example queue 602associated with the zone player 612, and an example queue 604 associatedwith the zone player 614. Queue 606 may be associated with a group, whenin existence, comprising zone players 612 and 614. Queue 606 mightcomprise a new queue or exist as a renamed version of queue 602 or 604.In some embodiments, in a group, the zone players 612 and 614 would beassigned to queue 606 and queue 602 and 604 would not be available atthat time. In some embodiments, when the group is no longer inexistence, queue 606 is no longer available. Each zone player and eachcombination of zone players in a network of zone players, such as thoseshown in FIG. 1 or that of example zone players 612, 614, and examplecombination 616, may be uniquely assigned to a corresponding playbackqueue.

A playback queue, such as playback queues 602-606, may includeidentification of media content to be played by the corresponding zoneplayer or combination of zone players. As such, media items added to theplayback queue are to be played by the corresponding zone player orcombination of zone players. The zone player may be configured to playitems in the queue according to a specific order (such as an order inwhich the items were added), in a random order, or in some other order.

The playback queue may include a combination of playlists and othermedia items added to the queue. In one embodiment, the items in playbackqueue 602 to be played by the zone player 612 may include items from theaudio sources 662, 664, or any of the media items 622-632. The playbackqueue 602 may also include items stored locally on the zone player 612,or items accessible from the zone player 614. For instance, the playbackqueue 602 may include Internet radio 626 and album 632 items from audiosource 662, and items stored on the zone player 612.

When a media item is added to the queue via an interface of acontroller, a link to the item may be added to the queue. In a case ofadding a playlist to the queue, links to the media items in the playlistmay be provided to the queue. For example, the playback queue 602 mayinclude pointers from the Internet radio 626 and album 632, pointers toitems on the audio source 662, and pointers to items on the zone player612. In another case, a link to the playlist, for example, rather than alink to the media items in the playlist may be provided to the queue,and the zone player or combination of zone players may play the mediaitems in the playlist by accessing the media items via the playlist. Forexample, the album 632 may include pointers to items stored on audiosource 662. Rather than adding links to the items on audio source 662, alink to the album 632 may be added to the playback queue 602, such thatthe zone player 612 may play the items on the audio source 662 byaccessing the items via pointers in the album 632.

In some cases, contents as they exist at a point in time within aplayback queue may be stored as a playlist, and subsequently added tothe same queue later or added to another queue. For example, contents ofthe playback queue 602, at a particular point in time, may be saved as aplaylist, stored locally on the zone player 612 and/or on the cloudnetwork. The saved playlist may then be added to playback queue 604 tobe played by zone player 614.

VI. Example Ad-Hoc Network

Particular examples are now provided in connection with FIG. 7 todescribe, for purposes of illustration, certain embodiments to provideand facilitate connection to a playback network. FIG. 7 shows that thereare three zone players 702, 704 and 706 and a controller 708 that form anetwork branch that is also referred to as an Ad-Hoc network 710. Thenetwork 710 may be wireless, wired, or a combination of wired andwireless technologies. In general, an Ad-Hoc (or “spontaneous”) networkis a local area network or other small network in which there isgenerally no one access point for all traffic. With an establishedAd-Hoc network 710, the devices 702, 704, 706 and 708 can allcommunicate with each other in a “peer-to-peer” style of communication,for example. Furthermore, devices may join and/or leave from the network710, and the network 710 will automatically reconfigure itself withoutneeding the user to reconfigure the network 710. While an Ad-Hoc networkis referenced in FIG. 7, it is understood that a playback network may bebased on a type of network that is completely or partially differentfrom an Ad-Hoc network.

Using the Ad-Hoc network 710, the devices 702, 704, 706, and 708 canshare or exchange one or more audio sources and be dynamically grouped(or ungrouped) to play the same or different audio sources. For example,the devices 702 and 704 are grouped to playback one piece of music, andat the same time, the device 706 plays back another piece of music. Inother words, the devices 702, 704, 706 and 708, as shown in FIG. 7, forma HOUSEHOLD that distributes audio and/or reproduces sound. As usedherein, the term HOUSEHOLD (provided in uppercase letters todisambiguate from the user's domicile) is used to represent a collectionof networked devices that are cooperating to provide an application orservice. An instance of a HOUSEHOLD is identified with a household 710(or household identifier), though a HOUSEHOLD may be identified with adifferent area or place.

In certain embodiments, a household identifier (HHID) is a short stringor an identifier that is computer-generated to help ensure that it isunique. Accordingly, the network 710 can be characterized by a uniqueHHID and a unique set of configuration variables or parameters, such aschannels (e.g., respective frequency bands), service set identifier(SSID) (a sequence of alphanumeric characters as a name of a wirelessnetwork), and WEP keys (wired equivalent privacy) or other securitykeys. In certain embodiments, SSID is set to be the same as HHID.

In certain embodiments, each HOUSEHOLD includes two types of networknodes: a control point (CP) and a zone player (ZP). The control pointcontrols an overall network setup process and sequencing, including anautomatic generation of required network parameters (e.g., securitykeys). In an embodiment, the CP also provides the user with a HOUSEHOLDconfiguration user interface. The CP function can be provided by acomputer running a CP application module, or by a handheld controller(e.g., the controller 308) also running a CP application module, forexample. The zone player is any other device on the network that isplaced to participate in the automatic configuration process. The ZP, asa notation used herein, includes the controller 308 or a computingdevice, for example. In some embodiments, the functionality, or certainparts of the functionality, in both the CP and the ZP are combined at asingle node (e.g., a ZP contains a CP or vice-versa).

In certain embodiments, configuration of a HOUSEHOLD involves multipleCPs and ZPs that rendezvous and establish a known configuration suchthat they can use a standard networking protocol (e.g., IP over Wired orWireless Ethernet) for communication. In an embodiment, two types ofnetworks/protocols are employed: Ethernet 802.3 and Wireless 802.11g.Interconnections between a CP and a ZP can use either of thenetworks/protocols. A device in the system as a member of a HOUSEHOLDcan connect to both networks simultaneously.

In an environment that has both networks in use, it is assumed that atleast one device in a system is connected to both as a bridging device,thus providing bridging services between wired/wireless networks forothers. The zone player 706 in FIG. 7 is shown to be connected to bothnetworks, for example. The connectivity to the network 712 is based onEthernet and/or Wireless, while the connectivity to other devices 702,704 and 708 is based on Wireless and Ethernet if so desired.

It is understood, however, that in some embodiments each zone player706, 704, 702 may access the Internet when retrieving media from thecloud (e.g., the Internet) via the bridging device. For example, zoneplayer 702 may contain a uniform resource locator (URL) that specifiesan address to a particular audio track in the cloud. Using the URL, thezone player 702 may retrieve the audio track from the cloud, andultimately play the audio out of one or more zone players.

VII. Another Example System Configuration

FIG. 8 shows a system 800 including a plurality of interconnectednetworks including a cloud-based network and at least one local playbacknetwork. A local playback network includes a plurality of playbackdevices or players, though it is understood that the playback networkmay contain only one playback device. In certain embodiments, eachplayer has an ability to retrieve its content for playback. Control andcontent retrieval can be distributed or centralized, for example. Inputcan include streaming content provider input, third party applicationinput, mobile device input, user input, and/or other playback networkinput into the cloud for local distribution and playback.

As illustrated by the example system 800 of FIG. 8, a plurality ofcontent providers 820-850 can be connected to one or more local playbacknetworks 860-870 via a cloud and/or other network 810. Using the cloud810, a multimedia audio system server 820 (e.g., Sonos™), a mobiledevice 830, a third party application 840, a content provider 850 and soon can provide multimedia content (requested or otherwise) to localplayback networks 860, 870. Within each local playback network 860, 870,a controller 862, 872 and a playback device 864, 874 can be used toplayback audio content.

VIII. Multi-Dimensional and Cross-Service Search Embodiments

Media system configuration 100 in FIG. 1, example network system 600 inFIG. 6, example network system depicted in FIG. 7, and Sonos Network 1and N are example media playback systems in which one or moreembodiments directed to multi-dimensional and/or cross-service searchingcan be particularly useful. Various aspects of those systems, inaddition to items shown in other Figures, will be referenced below toillustrate the numerous multi-dimensional and/or cross-service searchembodiments.

As will be understood from the following description and figures,advantages of the technology described herein are numerous. Forinstance, in one embodiment, a single user selection of a location onthe user interface causes a multi-dimensional search to be performedbased on metadata, such as Album, Artist, Track, Genre, Playlist, and soon, where the use of each metadata results in yet another dimension ofthe search. In another embodiment, a single user selection of a locationon the user interface causes a cross-service search of accessible audiosources. In yet another embodiment, a single user selection of alocation on the user interface causes a multi-dimensional andcross-service search. In an embodiment, a single user selection of alocation on the user interface causes a same-service search, or both asame-service and a cross-service search. In another embodiment, searchresults are sorted for display. In one embodiment, the search resultscan be further sorted based on a priority associated with the metadataand audio sources. In another embodiment, the search results can also befiltered using the associated metadata based on relative positioning ofthe metadata to the selected location. Other embodiments are describedherein.

By way of illustration, examples of a single user selection of alocation include tapping a finger on a screen, tapping the screen twicequickly in the same location, touching and holding a finger on an item,dragging a finger in certain direction or starting from a certainlocation, pinching open or pinching close, pressing a hard button (notnecessarily a soft key), or performing any other user action that isconfigured to cause a search.

In one example (of many) where the embodiments may prove useful, a usermay be listening to a radio-style audio station (e.g., “TUNEIN™ radio”,“RDIO™”, “PANDORA™ Radio” and so on) over the user's media playbacksystem and hear a song he or she likes. Traditionally, once the song isover, the user cannot listen to it again, unless of course, the radiostation plays it again at some later, often unpredictable time. However,using one or more embodiments described herein, the user can select alocation on the user interface that causes a search to be performed tofind the song, the album, the artist, or more if so desired. The searchcan be multi-dimensional and over different and/or multiple audiosources, if programmed. Based on the results, the user can add the songto his or her favorites, purchase it, play it again on-demand from oneof the on-demand audio sources, add it to a playlist, add it to aparticular queue of the media playback system, and so on.

Referring now to FIG. 9, in which an example process 900 for amulti-dimensional and/or a cross-service search is shown. Described morebelow, the process 900 includes receiving an indication or desire toperform a search, identifying one or more accessible audio sources fromwhich to search, searching the identified audio source(s) based on (1)search classification fields supported by the audio source and (2)certain metadata, retrieving the results, sorting and displaying theresults. Depending on the embodiment, process 900 may call for multiplesearches to be performed in a manner that appears to happensimultaneously, or near simultaneously, to the user. For instance, anembodiment might include searching multiple, different audio sources ator near the same time from the perspective of the user.

At block 902, a controller receives a selection of a location in an areaon a user interface. In this example, the selection causes or initiatesa search. For purposes of illustration, controller 500 represented inFIG. 5 is an example controller that includes a screen 502 that can beused to provide a location in an area on the user interface, and inputinterface 514 can be used to receive a user selection of the location.The descriptions pertaining to controller 130 shown in FIG. 1,controller 708 shown in FIG. 7, and controllers 862 and 872 of FIG. 8illustrate a type of role of the controller in example media playbacksystems. For instance, in some embodiments, the controller providescommands to the zone players, such as what to play, when to play,grouping, volume settings, and so on. The controller may also receivestatus and/or configuration information from the zone players. It isadvantageous to the end-user to use the same controller to (1) controlplayback and (2) search audio per the process 900 of FIG. 9, because theuser can, for example, directly play content resulting from the searchor add the content to a playback queue, for example.

FIG. 10A shows an example user interface in accordance with anembodiment as seen on an example smartphone device. The user interfaceincludes areas of display and locations within those areas that can beselected via a user to manage the media playback system, such asdescribed above. In one embodiment and as shown in FIG. 10A, the “NowPlaying” screen 1000 shows the current track and includes metadata thatidentifies artist 1006, track 1008, and album 1010 The “Now Playing”screen 1000 corresponds to what is currently playing (or currentlypaused or currently stopped) in a particular zone of the media playbacksystem. In some instances, a “Now Playing” screen 1000 may show whatwould play by the particular zone upon receiving a play command (e.g., azone may be in a pause or stop state, but the controller may stilldisplay a “Now Playing” screen 1000).

In one embodiment, the location for which a selection is received tocause a search is the album art 1002 shown on the Now Playing screen1000. That is, a user can press or select any location within the albumart 1002 to cause a search. In another embodiment, the location on theuser interface is directly tied to any one or all of the artist name1006, album name 1008, and track name 1010. That is, for example, theuser could select “Cat Power” (the artist name 1006) to initiate asearch. In an alternative example, the user could select “Aretha, SingOne For Me” (the track name 1008) to initiate a search. In yet anotherexample, the user could select “Jukebox” (the album name 1010) toinitiate a search. Other examples exist and would be understood based onthis description.

FIG. 10B shows an example user interface in accordance with anembodiment as seen on an example smartphone device. Instead of (or, inaddition to) initiating a search via a “Now Playing” screen, such asshown in FIG. 10A, the controller may be configured to receive aselection of a location on another screen or menu. For example, in theembodiment of FIG. 10B, the user can select the menu item “Find MoreLike This” at 1004 to initiate a search.

In another example (not shown in a Figure), the user can select an itemdisplayed in a music library (e.g., local music library, RHAPSODY™ “MyLibrary”, etc.), such as an artist, album, track, etc. In someembodiments, an item displayed in a first music library may beunavailable, and a related search based on the displayed item mayprovide access to the content on another audio source. For example, amusic service may display the complete discography for an artist, eventhough only a subset of the albums or tracks is available on that musicservice.

FIG. 11 shows yet another example user interface in accordance with anembodiment as seen on an example smartphone device. In this embodiment,a display element (like magnifying glass element at 1100) provides alocation on the user interface that can be selected to cause a search.It is understood that a search may be initiated by more than one way, ifdesired.

Referring back to FIG. 9 and looking now at block 904, at least oneaudio source that is accessible for searching from the controller isidentified. In one embodiment, the controller 500 in FIG. 5 searchesmemory 510 to identify at least one audio source. In another embodiment,the controller requests the audio source information from a zone playeron the network. In yet another embodiment, the controller may requestthe audio source information from a remote server (e.g., request whataudio sources are accessible by HHID). An audio source includes a datasource from which audio content may be retrieved by the playback system.Examples include, but are not limited to, SPOTIFY™, RHAPSODY™, PANDORA™,ITUNES™, GOOGLE PLAY, MOG™, RDIO™, a digital music library on the localnetwork, local radio broadcast over the Internet, and so on. It isunderstood that each media playback system may have (and will mostlikely have) a different set of one or more audio sources from which itgets audio content for playback.

In one embodiment, a list of audio sources that are accessible by thecontroller is stored in memory, such as in a table. For instance, thetable might be stored in memory on the controller, in memory on a zoneplayer, in memory on a remote device, or some other device. When audiosources for a given media playback system change, the table can beupdated periodically or when the change occurs. In an alternativeembodiment, a list of accessible audio sources is developed responsiveto initiation of the search.

In some embodiments, an audio source may be accessible by the controllerfor searching audio content, but requires user authentication prior toplayback of audio content. In some examples, user authentication isapplied to the media playback system. In other examples, userauthentication is applied to the controller that is used to initiateplayback. In one embodiment, an audio source is searched only if thesource has already been authenticated for playback. In anotherembodiment an audio source is searched even though the source has notyet been authenticated for playback. In some embodiments, authenticationmay happen after the search, if so desired.

At block 906, a search of one or more audio sources is performed basedon at least one search classification field supported by the audiosource(s) for any of the artist name, the album name, the track name,and any other items. Other search classification fields may be used. Insome embodiments, the controller identifies the audio source(s) anddetermines the search classification fields supported by each source.Each source may support different classification fields. For example,PANDORA™ might support an artist search, a genre search, and a tracksearch, whereas RDIO™ might support a station search, a show search, anda hosts search. In some embodiments, a canonical mapping is used to makesure different classification fields have meaning in each locationsearched. For example, “tracks” in one service may be treated the sameas “songs” in another service. Similarly, “shows” may be treated thesame as “podcasts”. In another example, different regional servicesinclude different spelling or glyphs.

A listing of different classification fields supported by the differentaudio sources as a basis to search may be stored in memory, such as in atable. As an example, the table might be stored in the controller'smemory, a zone player's memory, in the memory on a remote device, orsome other device. If an audio source changes its supportedclassification fields, it may notify the controller device (or someother device), and the table can be updated in response to thenotification.

To provide an example with respect to blocks 902, 904 and 906, assumethat a controller identifies the following audio sources and searchesthe sources upon selection of a location on the user interface, wherethe location corresponds to the currently playing: “Cat Power” (artist),“Aretha, Sing One For Me” (track), and “Jukebox” (album):

Identified audio sources Supported search classification fieldsPANDORA ™ Artist --- “Cat Power” Genre --- Track --- “Aretha, Sing OneFor Me” RHAPSODY ™ Artist --- “Cat Power” Album --- “Jukebox” Track ---“Aretha, Sing One For Me” Genre --- SONGZA ™ Artist --- “Cat Power”Playlists ---

Per block 908, the controller would retrieve information from the searchincluding any one or more of information related to, for example, theartist name, the album name, and the track name. In some instancesdepending on the audio source, the search may result in finding noinformation for one of the classification fields. In other instances,depending on the audio source, the search may result in information forone, two, or all of the classification fields. Using the example abovewith respect to “Cat Power,” the results from searching RHAPSODY™ underArtists might be the following, for example: “Cat Power”, “Cat Power(Holiday)”, “T-Power”, “Cat Power & Karen Elson”, “Serpent Power”, andso on. Searching Rhapsody under Genres might result in no information,and searching under Tracks might including the following, for example:“Cat Power” by Patterson Hood, “That Power” by Childish Gambino, “BeatPower” by Chance's End, and so on. Results from searching PANDORA andSONGZA would also be retrieved.

Per block 910, the search results are sorted based on the at least onesearch classification field and the audio source(s). The results may befurther sorted based on a priority scheme that may take into account,for example, multiple classification fields and/or the audio source(s)such as by placing items, which are a closer match to the searchcriteria, near the top. In some embodiments, results are further sortedbased on user preference. For example, a user preference for studiotracks or albums over live tracks or albums may be used. In anotherexample, tracks that have been previously ‘disliked’ by a user can beomitted from the results. For example, in the “Cat Power” example above,the search results could be sorted by placing items that are associatedwith the band “Cat Power” at the top versus material by other bands.Items associated with the band “Cat Power” may be further prioritizedbased on the album and/or track of interest. In another embodiment, thesearch results may be filtered to only include highly relevant materialbased on the search criteria; e.g., include material only from the band“Cat Power” and discard material from another band.

Per block 912, the information is displayed on the user interface of thecontroller based on the sorting of block 910. The information may bearranged on the user interface based on the classification fields, theaudio source(s), or both. Using the “Cat Power” example, the informationmay be displayed based on Artist, Genre, Album, Track, and Playlists.Continuing on with the example, information under the Artist categorycan be broken up into the audio sources, and the results from each audiosource would be displayed under the respective audio source (see, forexample, FIG. 12). For example:

-   -   Artist        -   Pandora            -   Result 1            -   Result 2        -   Rhapsody            -   Result 1        -   Songza            -   Result 1

Similarly, the retrieved information may be sorted for the otherclassification fields and/or audio sources. If no results were foundfrom searching a particular audio source, then the audio source may beleft off the display for that classification. As described above, theresults may be prioritized and/or filtered. For instance, Result 1 underPandora might have a closer relationship to “Cat Power” than Result 2under Pandora. Result 3 (not shown under Pandora above to illustrate theexample) might have been discarded, and thus not shown, because it istoo far from “Cat Power”; e.g., a different band, a different genre, andso on. Additionally, the results shown above are alphabetized, but mayinstead be prioritized in some embodiments based on a differentalgorithm. For instance, the favorite audio sources may be listed first,the audio source where the song was heard may be displayed first (e.g.,same-service search; the user heard a song using a Rhapsody channel, andsearched Rhapsody for the song), and so on.

FIG. 13 shows an example of displaying a set of results under “Albums”from a search, in which “Jukebox” was searched on RDIO™, an audiosource. Assume that the search in this example is different from thesearch example used above, more of which is described below. Uponselecting “Albums”, the information under “RDIO” is displayed. Likewise,a user can select, with a touch of the finger for example, “Artists” or“Tracks” to view search results from the search of “Jukebox” on RDIO.

According to the example of FIG. 13, in one embodiment, only the term“Jukebox” was used in a search. For instance, the user selected alocation on the user interface, such as described above (e.g., selectingalbum art, selecting the element “Jukebox”, selecting a “Find More LikeThis”, selecting some other element on the user interface), and thecontroller used “Jukebox” in the search of one or more audio sources. InFIG. 13, the audio source RDIO was searched and results under “Albums”and RDIO are displayed on the user interface. Upon selecting “Artists”and/or “Tracks” on the user interface shown in FIG. 13, additionalsearch results corresponding to the selected category would bedisplayed. In another embodiment, the term “Jukebox” was used in thesearch, but the programmed instructions call for identifying that this“Jukebox” is associated with “Cat Power” (and even associated with“Aretha, Sing One For Me” if so programmed). If so programmed, then theresults may also be prioritized by placing “Jukebox” by “Cat Power” atthe top of the list. The results can be further prioritized based on aset of one or more other similarities to the Cat Power Jukebox, likegenre or some other metric.

FIG. 14 shows an example of displaying a set of results under “Tracks”from a search. Upon selecting “Tracks” the information under “PandoraRadio” (an audio source) and “RDIO” (another audio source) is displayed.

FIG. 15 shows yet another example in which a user's “Music Library” wasincluded in a search for “Bon Iver.” According to the example of FIG.15, the information displayed corresponds to the “Artist” selection.

FIG. 16 shows yet another example in which the audio sources to besearch may be user selected. In one instance, “all music” can beselected such that the system searches all available audio sources. Oneor more audio sources may be selected for searching.

In some embodiments, the results are displayed taking into considerationthe screen dimension area and the number of audio sources to bedisplayed. In some embodiments, the results are displayed such that aminimum number of results per audio source are maintained. For example,results for two audio sources using an IPHONE™ 5 may be displayed withfour results per audio source. The same search using an IPHONE™ 4 maydisplay only three results per source. As such, in some embodiments, adetermination of screen size is made by the controller prior todisplaying the results.

IX. Conclusion

The descriptions above disclose various example systems, methods,apparatus, and articles of manufacture including, among othercomponents, firmware and/or software executed on hardware. However, suchexamples are merely illustrative and should not be considered aslimiting. For example, it is contemplated that any or all of thesefirmware, hardware, and/or software components can be embodiedexclusively in hardware, exclusively in software, exclusively infirmware, or in any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware.Accordingly, while the following describes example systems, methods,apparatus, and/or articles of manufacture, the examples provided are notthe only way(s) to implement such systems, methods, apparatus, and/orarticles of manufacture.

As described above, the present application involves a playback systemthat causes a search to be performed responsive to a selection of alocation on a user interface of a controller. In one aspect, a method isprovided. The method comprises displaying an area on a user interface ofa controller, the area associated with an artist name, an album name,and a track name associated with an audio track that is being played byone or more playback devices, wherein the one or more playback devicesis controlled via the controller. The method also includes receiving aselection of a location in the area of the user interface, andresponsive to receiving the selection of the location, identifying bythe controller at least one audio source that is accessible forsearching from the controller. Searching the at least one audio sourcebased on at least one search classification field supported by the atleast one audio source for any of the artist name, the album name, andthe track name. Retrieving information by the controller from the atleast one audio source based on the search, wherein the informationincludes any one or more of the following: information related to theartist name, information related to the album name, and informationrelated to the track name; sorting the information based on the at leastone search classification field and the at least one audio source; anddisplaying the sorted information on the user interface.

The method further includes determining the at least one searchclassification field that is supported by the at least one audio source;and modifying search criteria based on the at least one searchclassification field.

The method further includes searching a plurality of audio sources,wherein each of the plurality of audio sources is different.

The method further includes identifying an audio source of the pluralityof audio sources where the controller has unrestricted access to audiocontent at the audio source. Examples of unrestricted access mightinclude a service in which the playback system is registered, a localdigital music library, or some other source in which at least someaccess to audio content is available to the playback system forplayback.

The method further includes identifying an audio source of the pluralityof audio sources where the controller has restricted access to the audiocontent at the audio source. In this instance, the search may reach toaudio sources where the playback system is not yet a registered system.As such, the user can view search results, but may not have the abilityto play the content until the source becomes unrestricted (e.g., viauser registration).

The method further includes prioritizing the sorting of retrievedinformation. In one embodiment, the information is prioritized accordingto similarity to the artist name, the album name, or the track name. Inanother embodiment, the location selected on the user interface is usedto determine how the information is prioritized. For example, metadataclosely associated with the location may take priority in the search,the search results, and the display of such results.

A method further includes searching at least one audio source that isdifferent from a source used to play the audio track on the one or moreplayback devices. For instance, the playback system might be playing asong from Pandora, and the system searches Rhapsody for audio content.

In another aspect, a device is provided. The device includes aprocessor, data storage, and program instructions stored in the datastorage and executable by the process to display an area on a userinterface of a controller, the area associated with an artist name, analbum name, and a track name associated with an audio track that isbeing played by one or more playback devices, wherein the one or moreplayback devices is controlled via the controller. The device alsoincludes executable program instructions for receiving a selection of alocation in the area of the user interface, and responsive to receivingthe selection of the location, identifying by the controller at leastone audio source that is accessible for searching from the controller.The device further includes executable program instructions forsearching the at least one audio source based on at least one searchclassification field supported by the at least one audio source for anyof the artist name, the album name, and the track name. The device alsoincludes executable program instructions for retrieving information bythe controller from the at least one audio source based on the search,wherein the information includes any one or more of the following:information related to the artist name, information related to the albumname, and information related to the track name; sorting the informationbased on the at least one search classification field and the at leastone audio source; and displaying the sorted information on the userinterface.

In yet another aspect, a non-transitory computer readable memory isprovided. The non-transitory computer readable memory has stored thereoninstructions executable by a computing device to cause the computingdevice to perform functions.

Additionally, references herein to “embodiment” means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment can be included in at least one example embodiment of theinvention. The appearances of this phrase in various places in thespecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment,nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of otherembodiments. As such, the embodiments described herein, explicitly andimplicitly understood by one skilled in the art, can be combined withother embodiments.

The specification is presented largely in terms of illustrativeenvironments, systems, procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, andother symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble theoperations of data processing devices coupled to networks. These processdescriptions and representations are typically used by those skilled inthe art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to othersskilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide athorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it isunderstood to those skilled in the art that certain embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be practiced without certain, specific details.In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, andcircuitry have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring aspects of the embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of thepresent disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than theforgoing description of embodiments.

When any of the appended claims are read to cover a purely softwareand/or firmware implementation, at least one of the elements in at leastone example is hereby expressly defined to include a tangible mediumsuch as a memory, DVD, CD, Blu-ray, and so on, storing the softwareand/or firmware.

1. A method comprising: displaying an area on a user interface of acontroller, the area associated with an artist name, an album name, anda track name associated with an audio track that is being played by oneor more playback devices, wherein the one or more playback devices iscontrolled via the controller; receiving a selection of a location inthe area of the user interface; responsive to receiving the selection ofthe location, identifying by the controller at least one audio sourcethat is accessible for searching from the controller; searching the atleast one audio source based on at least one search classification fieldsupported by the at least one audio source for any of the artist name,the album name, and the track name; retrieving information by thecontroller from the at least one audio source based on the search,wherein the information includes any one or more of the following:information related to the artist name, information related to the albumname, and information related to the track name; sorting the informationbased on the at least one search classification field and the at leastone audio source; and displaying the sorted information on the userinterface.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining theat least one search classification field that is supported by the atleast one audio source; and modifying search criteria based on the atleast one search classification field.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe searching the at least one audio source comprises searching aplurality of audio sources, wherein each of the plurality of audiosources is different.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:identifying an audio source of the plurality of audio sources where thecontroller has unrestricted access to audio content at the audio source.5. The method of claim 3, further comprising: identifying an audiosource of the plurality of audio sources where the controller hasrestricted access to the audio content at the audio source.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein sorting the information comprises displayinginformation for the artist name, the album name, and the track name inseparate areas of the user interface.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: prioritizing the sorting of retrieved information accordingto similarity to the artist name, the album name, or the track name. 8.The method of claim 7, further comprising: using the location selectedon the user interface to determine the prioritizing.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: prioritizing the sorting of retrievedinformation according to the at least one audio sources.
 10. The methodof claim 1, wherein the at least one audio source is different from asource used to play the audio track on the one or more playback devices.11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one audio sourcesupports a plurality of search classification fields.
 12. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereoninstructions executable by a computing device to cause the computingdevice to perform functions comprising: displaying an area on a userinterface of a controller, the area associated with an artist name, analbum name, and a track name associated with an audio track that isbeing played by one or more playback devices, wherein the one or moreplayback devices is controlled via the controller; receiving a selectionof a location in the area of the user interface; responsive to receivingthe selection of the location, identifying by the controller at leastone audio source that is accessible for searching from the controller;searching the at least one audio source based on at least one searchclassification field supported by the at least one audio source for anyof the artist name, the album name, and the track name; retrievinginformation by the controller from the at least one audio source basedon the search, wherein the information includes any one or more of thefollowing: information related to the artist name, information relatedto the album name, and information related to the track name; sortingthe information based on the at least one search classification fieldand the at least one audio source; and displaying the sorted informationon the user interface.
 13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12,wherein the instructions are executable by the computing device to causethe computing device to perform functions further comprising:determining the at least one search classification field that issupported by the at least one audio source; and modifying searchcriteria based on the at least one search classification field.
 14. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions forsearching the at least one audio source further comprises instructionsexecutable by the computing device to cause the computing device toperform functions further comprising: searching a plurality of audiosources, wherein each of the plurality of audio sources is different.15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructionsare executable by the computing device to cause the computing device toperform functions further comprising: identifying an audio source of theplurality of audio sources where the controller has unrestricted accessto audio content at the audio source.
 16. The computer-readable mediumof claim 14, wherein the instructions are executable by the computingdevice to cause the computing device to perform functions furthercomprising: identifying an audio source of the plurality of audiosources where the controller has restricted access to the audio contentat the audio source.
 17. The computer-readable medium of claim 12,wherein the instructions for sorting the information based on the atleast one search classification field and the at least one audio sourcecomprises instructions executable by the computing device to cause thecomputing device to perform functions further comprising: displayinginformation for the artist name, the album name, and the track name inseparate areas of the user interface.
 18. The computer-readable mediumof claim 12, wherein the instructions are executable by the computingdevice to cause the computing device to perform functions furthercomprising: prioritizing the sorting of retrieved information accordingto similarity to the artist name, the album name, or the track name. 19.The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions areexecutable by the computing device to cause the computing device toperform functions further comprising: using the location selected on theuser interface to determine the prioritizing.
 20. (canceled)
 21. Acontroller device comprising: a network interface configured tocommunicatively couple the controller device to one or more audiosources; a user interface; a non-transitory computer-readable medium;and program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readablemedium that are executable by at least one processor to cause thecontroller device to: display an area on the user interface, the areaassociated with an artist name, an album name, and a track nameassociated with an audio track that is being played by one or moreplayback devices, wherein the one or more playback devices is controlledvia the controller device; receive a selection of a location in the areaof the user interface; responsive to receiving the selection of thelocation, identify at least one audio source that is accessible forsearching from the controller; search the at least one audio sourcebased on at least one search classification field supported by the atleast one audio source for any of the artist name, the album name, andthe track name; retrieve information from the at least one audio sourcebased on the search, wherein the information includes any one or more ofthe following: information related to the artist name, informationrelated to the album name, and information related to the track name;sort the information based on the at least one search classificationfield and the at least one audio source; and display the sortedinformation on the user interface.